England is setting up the groundwork for an expansive new levy on plastic bags that will affect supermarkets and larger stores nationwide. The 5p charge for plastic bags in England, which will take effect after the 2015 election, will hopefully

Monday September 16, 2013, 6:41 am
Good to hear that my country is finally introducing this charge. I've been reusing bags for the last 25 years. It beggars belief how lazy most people are about reusing carrier bags; it doesn't exactly take a lot of effort, does it?!

Monday September 16, 2013, 11:11 am
Cheers, England!
I use tote bags for *pick up a couple extras*, and I recycle grocery bags for all kinds of different uses.
But on my BIG shopping expeditions, with grocery, pet store, pharmacy, etc., I may end up with 20-30 bags. Hard to lug around that many re-usables!

Monday September 16, 2013, 1:46 pm
I got a better idea. Rather than taxing it which would encourage nothing in the way of returning the bags for recycling why don't they put a small deposit on each bag. You would actually have people out picking them up off the streets for a few cents.

Monday September 16, 2013, 2:20 pm
For the most part, I remember even 20 years ago, people used their own shopping bags. If you went to a produce stand, they would put your purchase in a brown paper bag.

Monday September 16, 2013, 3:15 pm
A deposit sounds goo but really they just need to be banned. where I live they can be recycled at the Cp-op near my hose but people still just throw them away too often either in the trash or on the streets.

Monday September 16, 2013, 3:39 pm
Jamie and Donna, I agree! When us kids were growing up we used to scour the streets and alleys for cans and bottles to return for a nickel. With all of us looking there weren't very many laying around!

Monday September 16, 2013, 4:35 pm
I use both the reusable bags, the paper bags, and the plastic bags. Since I started recycling, I haven't had too much in the way of other trash. What I do have firs perfectly in those small grocery bags. Plastic trash bags aren't cheap, the recylable ones are even more expensive. Paper bags get recycled - and so the plastic bags I don't use. You may not like that I use those plastic grocery bags for my trash but on my budget, or lack thereof, I just can't afford to spend any more than I already do for things. You start charging, yes, you'll get your wish of no plastic bags, but you will also add more hardship on seniors and very poor people. I do understand what you're saying, but please take a few moments to truly understand that if you are poor in America, you truly cannot always scrape together enough pennies at the end of a paycheck, or month. I am washing clothes by hand because I can't afford the washers and dryers in our bldg. What do you suggest I give up in order to pay for recyclable grocery bags??

Monday September 16, 2013, 5:28 pm
Great news for my country
I do sympathise with hardship seniors I think they should be given the recycled one free after all what could it possibly cost many people will still be buying plastic so help poorly paid by giving them a bag
The poor always suffer

Monday September 16, 2013, 11:58 pm
Great idea Jamie C. Deposit on plastic bags ought to be a simple thing to do. I do use my own shopping bags, but sometimes I buy more than fits into the bag(s) I brought, at which point I don't want a paper bag because it rains here so much - paper bags don't do well in rainy weather. Try carrying a soggy bag. I do reuse my plastic bags and take them to recycling as well.

Tuesday September 17, 2013, 7:25 am
I wish all the stores would go back to paper if instead of plastic. I recycle and I do use many reusable cloth bags. Where I shop for groceries they give you 5 cents off your bill for every recyclable bag you bring in, 3 cents for bringing back a plastic bag to use. Plastic bags are not only terrible for the planet they are not sturdy and have no insulating value. Paper is natural, breaks down quickly and cloth of course can be used for years and years over and over. I always keep plenty of them in the trunk of the car. Might as well use sturdy cloth bags and get money back for doing so. Please remember to wash your cloth bags to keep them clean and free from bacteria.

Wednesday September 18, 2013, 1:11 am
I see more & more people carrying their own fabric bags into stores these days. Maybe, if they offered a refund for bags returned to the stores, more people would turn them in? I have a billion of those things, in plastic bags, at my house, & I'd certainly return them if I got money for it. Taxation? Everything is taxed already. Enough is enough!